Magnetic Belt

ABSTRACT

The magnetic belt is an improved version of the classic wearable belt, that has a more precise fit, and no loose ends. The magnetic belt has three main differences from the classic belt. The first is a fixed chain of ferromagnetic metal inside the leather, the second is a metal tip at the end of the belt, and the third is a new type of buckle. The metal buckle is detailed in Figure B, and it uses collapsible struts and magnetic force to clamp down onto the magnets in the belt. The belt&#39;s tip is made from a ferromagnetic metal that holds to the rest of the belt, and doesn&#39;t become loose. The magnetic belt is an improvement upon the classic belt, as it ensures a perfect fit, and eradicates the ineptitude of the flapping loose end.

BACKGROUND

The belt has been worn since the Bronze Age, both as an accessory and as a tool to keep one's clothing in place. For the most part, this Bronze age invention has stayed unchanged for hundreds of years, apart from a few minor amendments. This design generally consists of a leather band/strap with a buckle and several holes. The buckle has a pin that goes through the holes to keep the belt in place. The whole contraption sits inside the loops that exist on most trousers. Variants to this design exist, but tend to only include minor deviants from the classic belt, and even these are very uncommon.

While this design may be in heavy use today, it still has its own serious imperfections. The foremost of these is an inability to perfectly adjust the classic belt to your waist. Instead, you must find the belt notch that is the closest to your size—regardless of whether it fits you. For many people, none of the belt notches are perfect for them, so they must settle for something that doesn't fit precisely. Another big problem with the classic belt is the flapping loose end. The loose end is what occurs when the end of the belt doesn't quite reach of the loops on your trousers. When this happens, you have a bit of the belt that hangs out in a starkly unprofessional manner.

To solve these problems, we've devised the Magnetic belt. The new Magnetic belt can be adjusted so that it perfectly fits your waist, using its revolutionary new buckle. The magnetic belt's buckle is made of a ferromagnetic metal like iron that clamps down on the magnets in the belt—holding it place. This buckle does not rely on notches or holes, so you can adjust to fit your waist correctly. It also includes a metal tip, that attaches to the magnets in the rest of the belt rather than flapping around. In addition to solving these problems, it also lets you keep small or medium sized metal objects safe on your waist. The magnets in the belt lock the metal objects, making sure you don't lose any more screws or nails while you're working. These improvements get rid of the nuisance associated with a classic belt and make the accessory something useful.

SUMMARY

The magnetic belt is made up of three key parts: a leather strip with a string of magnets inside, a metal buckle, and a metal tip. The leather, is usually around 1.5 inches wide, while the length can vary from 30 to 50 inches depending on the size of the belt. Inside of this leather strip is a string of small alnico magnets spaced two inches apart from each other so that the run the length of the belt, while still allowing it to bend. On one end of this leather strip, there is a buckle. The buckle consists of two sheets of magnetic metal held apart by three metal struts on each side. The struts hold the sheets to that one is slightly in front of the other. Each of these struts has a prop and a hinge attached to it so that it can only collapse in one way. These struts hold the two pieces of metal apart until they are collapsed so that the buckle does not close before you are finished threading through the belt. When you are finished threading the belt through the buckle, you simply push the top sheet of metal sideways towards the end of the other sheet and the strut collapses, leaving the two metals to clamp down on the magnets in the belt, holding it in place. When you wish to loosen it, you pull the top sheet up, so that the struts hold it there, and allow you to remove the belt. On the other end of the leather strip, is a metal tip that sticks to the magnets in the belt, stopping any flapping that could occur.

Ideal Form

The Ideal form of this invention as detailed in Figure A includes two polished Top-grain 1.5″ by 30 to 50″ leather strips sown together. In between these two leather strips would be several 0.75″ by 0.75″ by 0.0625″ alnico magnets each fixed in the middle of the belt and spaced with 2″ in between each one. This fixed spacing allows the belt to bend and curve around the waist.

The end of this belt is made of a steel pentagon that attaches to the magnets in the rest of the belt—stopping the end of the belt from flapping around in an unprofessional sort of way. The belt would be held together by our novel buckle.

The buckle (shown in Figure B) is made up of two thin steel sheets held apart by three collapsible struts on the two long sides. On each of these sheets there are three solid steel rods—each 0.125″ longer than the width of the buckle. These rods are soldered onto each of the steel sheets (as shown in diagram) so that 0.0625″ sticks out on each side. These rods will be the placeholders for the six metal struts that will hold the sheets apart. These struts are solid steel with small loops on either end. The loops are made of the same steel, but they have rubber coating on the inside to get traction on the rods. The struts fit onto the rods and are secured by very small nylon insert lock nuts. When the struts are secured onto the sheets they should slightly out of line, with one a little ahead of the other. This is by design as only when they collapse will the sheets be in line. The struts are secured so that they can collapse—with a push. Attached to these struts—so that they can only collapse into place—are two small metal struts fused into the main ones at a 20-degree angle. They are fused so that if you attempt to push the sheets further out of line, they will not collapse.

When put together this buckle will snap onto the magnetic belt once you thread through the belt and push down diagonally on the struts. This allows for a belt that is perfectly adjustable, along with being magnetic and having an iron tip.

Additional Embodiments

The magnetic belt is a name that covers multiple models—not just the one specified above. A magnetic belt is any belt that has magnets inside of it and uses a buckle of the same nature. They can be made of different materials, whether it be cloth instead of leather, iron instead of steel, or a different sort of magnet. They can have different hinge designs on the buckle, if they collapse onto the belt and hold it in place using magnetic force. These models would work in the same way—just with different materials. 

1. A wearable belt comprising of: A material strap with a pointed piece of ferromagnetic material attached to one end of said strap; A multitude of magnets running down the inside of said material strap; A ferromagnetic buckle/clasp on the other end of said material strap, comprising of two metal sheets that are connected and held apart by one-way collapsing struts (As seen in figure B).
 2. The Belt detailed in claim 1 wherein the ferromagnetic material attached to the end of the said material strap is of a circular or square form
 3. The Belt detailed in claim 1 wherein said multitude of magnets only appears inside certain areas of the material. 